Tempo indicator



FeB. 3,1925. 1,525,037

J. F. LEVENTHAL TEMPO INDICATOR Filed Nov. 29, 1922 i TI f/l [JUEIUU EJJUUDUUD DUEIUIJ Patented Feb. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB F. LEVENTHAL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO MUSIC FILMS, INC, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.. A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TEMPO INDICATOR.

Application Md November 29, 1922. Serial No. 604,050.

To all whom it may canoe m.

Be it known that I, JACOB F. LEVENTHAL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Tempo Indicator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the motion-picture art and particularly to that portion ofthe art appertaining to motion pictures which for best results should be shown accompanied by music of proper tempo.

It is well understood by those skilled in the motion picture art that if music is ren- 15 dered during the showing of the pictures, it must not only be appropriate for the subject exhibited but the tempo for best results should closely approximate or in fact be identical with the tempo of the music rendered during the taking of the pictures. In this way only will the music rendered during the showing of the pictures be fully and completely blended with the picture.

It is also well understood by those skilled in this art that although a competent conductor may from the action of the picture closely approximate the tempo of the music which is rendered during the showing of the picture, nevertheless, operators vary as '1 to the speed which is imparted to the film in projecting the pictures. Not only do different operators project the same film at different speeds, but the same operator will project diflerent portions of the same film at difi'erent speeds. The result of these diii'erences is that a conductor must not only be constantly on the alert to detect changes in the speed of projection, but must then arrive at the proper tempo by his own observations and deductions. This method of arriving at the tempo of the music is evidently unsatisfactory and does not always result in that perfect accord of the action and the music which true art requires. 15 Furthermore, a conductor should in many cases be aware of the exact tern o of the music to be rendered before t 1e actors come into the picture and before any action, so to speak, has-taken place andshould 5 whereby a conductor will be apprised of the know the particular bar of music which is T moment to begin music to be rendered durmg the projection of a picture.

Another principal 'object of applicants invention is the provision of a method and means whereby a conductor may at all times during the showing formed of the exact tempo of the music which accompanied the taking of the picture.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description hereinafter appearing of the method constituting applicants invention, progresses, and as the description of a particular physical embodiment of a means for carrying out applicants method proceeds.

In describing applicants invention in detail reference is had to the accompanying drawings wherein has been shown a particular preferred physical embodiment of a means for practising applicants invention, and wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of an arrangement of apparatus for carrying out applicants method; Fig. 2. is a detail view of a mechanism used in the arrangement of Fig. 1, which will he hereinafter termed the tempo indicator; Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the tempo indicator; Fig.4, is an enlarged cross sectional elevational view on the plane indicated by the line 1V-'IV of Fig. 2; Fig. 5, is a diagrammatic view of a camera having a tempo indicator attached thereto; Fig. 6, is a view of aortion of film produced by applicants met 0d.

In Fig. 1, numeral 1 designates the stage or place where the action takes place which is to be photographed on a moving film; 2 designates a moving film camera, which is so positioned and focused and stopped that the entire range of the stage is included within the field of the lens as illustrated by lines 3, 4 and 5.

It is assumed that music accompanies the action on the stage 1 and to indicate the tempo of the music applicant makes use of a tempo indicator designated as a. whole by The tempo indicator T includes as a principal part preferably a simulation of a conducteids baton 6, best shown in Fig. 3, and

-referably attaghed to the representation of iiand 7.- The hand 7 is mounted fixedly on of the picture he inpivot pin 8, best shown in Fig. 4, and the pivot pin 8 is mounted .for oscillation in background 9. The pivot pin 8 and so the hand 7 and baton 6 is mounted about centrally. of the background 9 and the background 9 is suitably supported, as by standards 10 and 11.

The tempo indicator is positioned between the camera and the stage or place where the action to be photographed is taking place and as shown by Fig. 1 is so positioned that itcomes within the, field of the camera being used and in such wise that it forms a band entirely across or partly across the base of the picture formed on' the moving film, but is so positioned that it does not obscure or cover any part of the action to be photographed.

' appear as in Y I filin 16' has the band 17 appearing Midway of the band on the picture film formed by the tempo indicator the baton 6 and hand 7 appear. To make this baton of use to a conductor of the orchestra rendering music during the showing of the picture, it is caused tooscillat/e in accordance with the tempo of the music rendered during the photographing of the action taking place on the stage.

In order to oscillate baton 6, the pivot pin 8, on the reverse side of the indicator has a lever arm 12 attached thereto and attached to this lever arm is a flexible cord or stifi' rod 13. .This member 13 extends to the ,end ofv the indicator and may be actuated by a person by means of finger piece 14, If a flexible cord is used then a spring 15 is attached to lever arm 12 so as to return it to initial position,- but if the member 13 is a stiff rod, then spring 15 may be dispensed The film made byappli'cant'": 1 iethod will Fig. 6; Each picture section of thereon, withthe baton 6 appearing thereon in a different position in each section,uas is well understood from the receding descrip- 6011'; I p p L It ill now be readily understood that a firm made according to my method will have produced thereon means for indicating the tempo of the music tobe rendered during the projection of the film. I

In F g-5,1 have shown tempo indi eat r T, attached permanently to a camera 2, by means of bracket 18. Of course it is obvious that the pes itieeing of the tempo indicator is governed by exactly the same principles vas governed the positioning of thetear e indicator, as ,shewfiiri Fig; 1, and that in both cases the indicator is'p'laced at point isthat the face should preferabLv be of such color as will properly be non-active photographically while the baton 6 and hand 7 will be active photographically so that baton 6 and hand I will appear as distinctly as possible in the band at the bottom of each section in thecompleted film as finished for projection.

\lthough I have described my method in 7 detail and one form of apparatus for carrying my method into .use and described a product resulting from my method, nevertheless I desire to have it understood that the particular apparatus slown' does not eX- haust the possible physical embodiments of the apparatus which may be devised to practice my method but are merely illustrative, the product shown is merely illustrative of a film having means thereon for indicating the tempo of music.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. As a tempo indicator for moving picture films, the combination of supporting standards spaced apart, a plane body supported at either end by the standards, a pivot pin supported bythe body and projecting therethrough on both sides, the sim u'lation of a baton carried in a hand attache'd to the pivot on one side of the body,

a crank arm attached to the pivot n the other side of the body, and means positioned along the body on the crank arm side for causing motion in the crank arm from the end of the body. a

2. As a po indicator for moving pictnre films, the combination of supporting" standards spaced apart, a plane bodysnpported at either end by ,the standards, a

pivot pin supported by the body and projecting therethrougli enbeth sides, the siinli: lation-of a baton carried in a hand attached to the pivot on one side of the body, a crank arm attached to the pivot on the other side of the body,..in direction, and a resili'ent member for causing motion. in the other direction'.

JACOB r. LEVENTHAL; 

